The Presidency’s Solidarity Response Fund Raises R500-m in its First Week

The Presidency’s Solidarity Response Fund has already raised R500-million in its first week to help South Africans affected by the coronavirus outbreak – and now it’s become even easier for individuals and businesses to donate to the Fund, thanks to the addition of a payment platform that will allow payments to be made in as little as 8 seconds.

The Solidarity Response Fund, swiftly developed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help manage the coronavirus crisis in South Africa, aims to help detect and prevent the further spread of the virus, while also providing care and support to those who have unfortunately been affected.

Using this link: www.solidarityfund.co.za, ordinary citizens and businesses can donate to the Fund quickly, safely, securely. No app download or registration is required.

The Presidency will be able to share the link with prospective donors in numerous ways: via social media platforms, SMS, website and even QR code.

The link channels payments through payment technology platform Ozow, an online banking payment solution that works across all payment environments, allowing people who do not have debit or credit cards to transact quickly and safely from their own homes.

“We need to stand together as a nation to tackle the novel coronavirus. All donations will be processed free of charge, which means every cent donated through our platform will go directly towards helping those who need it the most,” said Ozow CEO, Thomas Pays.

After clicking on the link, donors follow five steps:

Select their bank on the screen

Log into your online banking.

Choose your preferred bank account.

Authenticate your payment.

Donation is now successful.

Apart from helping vulnerable South Africans navigate the coronavirus pandemic, Pays says digital payments can boost the entire economy in several ways. Making it easier for consumers to pay their municipal bills, could transform revenue collections for South Africa’s struggling metros and municipalities; allow SMEs to improve their cash flows and access new markets; and help big businesses save money by processing payments more cheaply, convert customers faster and collect money more easily.